Today, Explained
4.7/5
Critic Rating
4.5/5
Listener Rating
Today, Explained is Vox's daily news explainer podcast. Hosts Sean Rameswaram and Noel King will guide you through the most important stories of the day.Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Critic Reviews
Score: 5
Alice Florence Orr • PodcastReview.org • Sep 20, 2023
"If you’re tired of clickbait, you should consider this show. Today, Explained is concise but on-point, bringing clarity to the top news stories of the day. The show’s style has obviously been influenced by NPR, a tried-and-tested way to deliver both political and human-interest stories. Today, Explained is both insightful and accessible."
Score: 4.5
Alison Osborne • Quill Inc. • Oct 19, 2020
"Each episode feels like the listener is on a journey with Rameswaram, through his genuine reactions to the discussions that he has, it feels as if he’s learning about the facts of the news story at the exact same time as we are. Another strong advantage of this podcast is that the stories are presented to us as plain factual. The lack of bias gives the listener the ability to form their own opinions and thoughts around the news stories that we’re consuming. Honestly, I’m amazed that this series is produced 5 days of the week at this level of quality and with the names that they have on each episode. Today, Explained has truly changed the game for daily news podcasts and makes it hard for others to compete at this level."
Score: 4.7
Jake Greenberg • PodcastReview.org • Apr 13, 2018
"Today is doing its best to untangle news from this cycle, to investigate stories over the course of weeks and months rather than hours. The existence of Today, Explained proves the flexibility of the daily news podcast, of which many more are surely on the way. If Rameswaram and company stay the course and avoid the trappings of daily headlines, Today, Explained could be your least panicky and most curious news option."
Score: 4.5
Sarah Larson • New Yorker • Mar 15, 2018
"“Today, Explained” has produced gratifying, intelligently produced shows on subjects we’d reasonably expect it to cover...It’s serious but not self-serious. Episodes are fifteen to twenty minutes long, shorter if you skip the copious ads for mattresses and toothbrushes. Vox reporters talk to Rameswaram, who occasionally veers into what I think of as the Krulwich zone—exaggerated naïveté for our benefit—but generally he’s a sharp, curious proxy for the listener."
Listener Reviews
Score: 4.5
Imran A. • Jun 15, 2020
"I was looking for a podcast to explain what Juneteenth was and the history behind it. This episode provided that information and much more from an academic and current events point of view. It wasn't too heavy or too light. Just right. Now I'm reading and listening to more about this holiday. Historical gateway episode to more learning. "
